An Unusual Christmas
by Nevermorethecorporation
Summary: Every one is stuck at the boarding house the week of Christmas. Bamon. Stelena. I tried to stay true to the characters as much as I could. All characters belong to LJ Smith. one shot.


The air outside was frigid and everything was covered in thick white snow. The storm that had been raging on for the last three days had yet to lessen and all of the roads in mystic falls were closed. No one was going anywhere. Still, none of this could bother the rather unlikely group inside. Three vampires, a hunter, a small-town boy, and two witches were hauled up in the three-story boarding house.

To be more accurate, _Two _vampires, a hunter, a small-town boy, and _one _witch were hauled up in the boarding house. There was no doubt that Damon Salvatore would find a way to leave if he truly wanted to, and Mrs. Flowers had always had a way of accomplishing mysterious things.

It was Christmas eve and everyone gathered in a large kitchen, even Damon, who stood off in the farthest corner from everybody.

"God!" Bonnie gasped, absentmindedly running a hand through her curly red hair as she stared at the window. "Honestly, I don't think this storm is _ever _going to end!" The window was completely covered in snow, as it had been for two days.

"All part of the Christmas spirit," Matt said with a smirk, trying to make everyone feel better. When Bonnie did not look at him, he picked up a chocolate chip cookie from the large Christmas tray in front of him and promptly threw it at her. It hit her in the side of the face with a dull smack and fell to the ground before breaking in half.

Bonnie gasped. Matt felt Elena smack him in the back of the head, and not lightly. He ducked in case she decided hitting him once was not enough but realized he was safe when he saw her step back towards Stefan and re-intertwine their fingers together. Bonnie, however snapped her face around to glare at him as she pick the cookie pieces up off the floor. Her face was crimson red as she blushed and threw both pieces in Matt's direction. One missed by a good foot and a half, and the other fell pitifully down to the table in front of her.

"Okay," Chimed Meredith's voice of reason, "how about we _don't _make a mess of Mrs. Flowers' kitchen?" She stared them both down with a look of authority, being betrayed by the smile that was threatening to form on her lips.

"Thanks, dear," Mrs Flowers said with a smile in Meredith's direction. She put down the tray of cookies that she had just finished covering and faced the rest of them.

"Sorry," Matt said sincerely, blushing slightly himself.

"Well," Elena started out, changing the topic. "If there is one thing I miss about being human, it's Christmas cookies! Still," she said with a sly glance at Stefan, "I wouldn't trade this for all the cookies in the world!" She leaned against him slightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hm," Mrs. Flowers laughed slightly. When six pairs of curious eyes swung her way, she waved them off with a quick explanation, "Young love."

Bonnie sighed to herself, allowing just a small moment of self pity. She was happy for Elena and Stefan, truly enthralled, but she just wished she could have someone of her own by her side. After they had both sworn to help Elena get Stefan, dates were kind of a thing of the past. And sure, Meredith did have Alaric, whatever he was to her, but Bonnie was left with no one and Matt wasn't exactly going out a lot either.

"So we've all come to terms with the fact that we're not spending Christmas with our families, right?" Elena spoke up, breaking Bonnie out of her train of thought. Elena herself never even had the option, on account of technically being dead. Everyone turned to look at Bonnie again, not as subtly as they should have.

"What?" she asked, blushing a bright red again. She glanced around guiltily to see if any one had picked up on her thoughts. No one scolded her so she focused on what they were talking about instead. " I _am _spending Christmas with my family," she said with a shy grin, "_you guys!_"

Everyone's expressions visually melted at her heartfelt outburst. That was, everyone except Damon, who scoffed and swiftly walked even farther away, standing just outside the doorway.

The reason why he did this became apparent as Stefan and Matt were hustled into a group hug, the girls ignoring their embarrassed complaints.

"Besides," Bonnie piped from the middle of the hug, "I've already got most of your presents done."

They dispersed and went back to wandering around the house, breaking off into groups. Elena and Stefan headed back towards their room to watch TV and talk in private, despite the incorrectly aimed jokes from their friends and a particularly deadly glare from Damon. Mrs. Flowers had finished all of her baking and mumbled something about going to bed before she took off. Meredith and Matt were busy cleaning up the messes from cooking, moving around until there was nothing Bonnie could help with without getting in the way. That left only Bonnie and Damon, and Bonnie only had one plan, _stay away from Damon._

He was always moody, he wouldn't be Damon if he wasn't, but in the last few days it had gotten worse. There was something different about it, and Bonnie had high suspicions that it had to do with the some of the jokes said earlier as Elena and Stefan had been leaving.

_ They're just jokes, _Bonnie thought sullenly. She gathered her stuff, her pink zip up sweatshirt and her diary, and headed toward the room she had chosen. It was at the end of the hall, farthest from the stairs and to the right. She had chosen it because it was not too close and not too far from the rest of the rooms being used. Stefan and Elena had chosen one in the middle, as they all agreed that everyone should stay on the second floor. Meredith had chosen the room two away from theirs and closer to the stairs. Matt chose the room next to her, even closer to the stairs. Damon, as it turned out, was staying in the room directly across from Bonnie's, information she did not know when she chose her room.

She trudged up the stairs, her mind reeling for something to do. She had already written in her diary more times than she wished to and Mrs. Flowers wasn't awake to help her with her magic. _I'm not tired enough for bed,_ she thought. she brought a delicate wrist closer to her face and read her small, silver watch. It read 9:00 pm. She did not mind having to stay here, it was like a giant Christmas party, but she was quickly running out of things to do. Tomorrow, at least, they would have their Christmas exchange.

Everyone had already had more than their fair shares of Christmas cookies and Christmas ham (something Mrs. Flowers had mysteriously felt the need to pick up right before the storm). They had also finished all of their shopping over a month ago.

Bonnie reached her room and pulled the door shut behind her lightly. She walked over to her bed and kneeled on the short but soft beige carpeting. Reaching a hand under the bed she found what she was looking for: a box. Scrawled in red crayon across the top of it were the words "X-MAS: STAY OUT" and smaller, written in pen as it had been added later: "I mean _you _Honeycutt!"

She disregarded the words, as they were her own handwriting, and pulled the lid off. Five gifts were revealed and one smaller box. Inside the box was another gift, an in-process one. She took the later one and rolled it out into her hand. A smooth black orb rested in her palm. It looked like a large, colorless marble, but Bonnie knew exactly what it was and what it was used for. This is what she had been secretly working on with Mrs. Flowers for the last week, when no one else was paying attention. It was Damon's gift, and hopefully, something that would cheer him up. At the moment though, it was cold and useless; the spell did not work.

She placed it back in the box grudgingly and put everything else away. Then, she turned off her light and sprinted to her bed, ducking under the covers quickly. She stared out into the eerie darkness, unable to sleep, as she had every night for the last didn't move a muscle and was left only with her thoughts and the uneasy feeling that the darkness brought.

When she did find herself waking up, she rolled over and look at the dull alarm clock across the room. It read 5:00 am and she swung her feet out into the cold air to get up. The floor was chilled beneath her feet, offering very little protection from the air. She retrieved Damon's gift and, in a slight crouch, she tip-toed out of her room and down the hall to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later she was showered and dressed for the day and she continued to sneak down the stair to the ground floor.

Mrs. Flowers was already awake and smiled at her as she sat down on a bar stool at the mini breakfast-bar. Mrs. Flowers handed her a muffin and a glass of warm tea for a quick breakfast. "Are you ready for today, dear?"

Bonnie let out a short and tired "hm" and patted her pocket where the orb was hiding. She took a big bite of blueberry muffin and a sip of tea to warm herself up. She felt like she should ask Mrs. Flowers the same question but was too tired to do so.

It was three hours later that she was in the basement, sweat trickling down the side of her face and her back. She was shaking from exhaustion and a tear escaped her eye, no longer out of physical pain but from the pain of failing again.

Mrs. Flowers patted her arm gently, sending some comfort to her. Bonnie looked up at the kind, old face. "I don't think the spell is going to work, dear," she said sympathetically. "even if you did get it to start, you wouldn't have enough energy left to make an impact."

Bonnie hunched her shoulders, her head falling until her curls covered her face where wet tears were making their path. "I know," she said miserably. She stuffed the orb back into her pocket and turned to head upstairs. "Thanks for helping, though," she added, trying not to sound bitter. When she reached the top of the stairs, she ran smack into Meredith, who was carrying a box of unused ornaments down.

"Bonnie?" Meredith questioned. She hastily put the box of decorations down and grabbed onto Bonnie's arm to stop her from falling. "What happened to you? You look horrible!"  
"Gee, thanks," Bonnie grumbled, dreading looking in the mirror. She gently tugged her arm out of Meredith's grasp and tried to stand up taller. "I'm fine. I was just practicing some magic with Mrs. Flowers and it was a really hard lesson today." Which was all true, technically.

Meredith Stared at her for a few more uncomfortable seconds. She was always able to tell when Bonnie was lying and it didn't help Bonnie that she was already a naturally bad liar. "Okay," Meredith said hesitantly and let her go past.

"I'm just gonna shower and I'll be right down for our awesome Christmas party!" Bonnie called with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. When Meredith was out of sight, Bonnie slowed down, practically dragging herself to the stairs.

"Why the limp, red bird?" a silk voice asked from behind her. She turned and saw Damon leaning in the kitchen doorway as he had been last night. If she hadn't already been there herself, she would have thought he never left.

"Uh, I stubbed my toe," She lied pitifully. A shaky breath left her and she knew she would have to sit down soon or she was going to pass out. "It'll be fine," she added, not daring to go as far as to say that _she _would be fine. She turned quickly hopped up the stairs, her vision blurring with each step. The whole time she could _feel _that Damon was watching her, staring at her back.

When she made it to the bathroom she closed and locked the door and then let herself fall forward, catching herself on the knob the turned the water on. The shower sprang to life and she stepped in, fully clothed. She was too tired to get undressed right away and instead she let the water run over her, slowly soaking through all of her layers and drenching her hair. She closed her eyes and rested, letting the energy from the water flow into her. Eventually, she stopped shaking and was healed enough to turn the water off and stand up.

Stepping out of the large shower, she wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and threw her clothes in the washer that was conveniently in the bathroom. She added some more clothes from the basket and hit the button to turn it on. When the clothes started spinning, she left, opening the door and padding down the long hallway.

She had almost reached her room when she heard a door open behind her.

"There you are!" Matt exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you. I thought you were in the basement with Mrs. Flowers." He nodded his head in the direction of the stairs, his hair falling slightly in his face. He was kindly staring her in the eyes, purposely not looking anywhere else.

"I was. Before, I mean. I told Meredith where I was going?" She shivered slightly, the cold air getting to her. "Did you guys start without me?"

"No, of course not."

"Oh," she said with relief, "thanks."

"We just finished decorating, though," he said, not sure if she had wanted to join them in doing so.

"Good," she said with a smile as she turned back around to enter her room. "Good." She closed the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she sighed slowly. She had no idea what to give Damon and they were exchanging gifts in a few hours.

Her mind went to Damon's gift and her eyes flew open. HIS GIFT! She quickly got dressed in her Christmas dress, a black dress that fell to her knees and was decorated with colorful accents. Then, she ran back down to the bathroom and yanked open the washer machine. Digging through the soaking clothes, she found her sweatshirt and pulled the orb out of the right pocket. It was a miracle it didn't come out or break. Though, she wasn't sure if it could be broken.

With a groan at the sight of herself in the mirror, Bonnie went to work to fix her hair. "I look like I drowned," she whimpered. Twenty minutes later though, she had her hair dried and styled quickly by pinning some of it back to show off her face. She ran and got the box of gifts, all in their own wrappings, and set off down the stairs.

"White Christmas is a classic," Elena was arguing with someone.

"Which is exactly why we shouldn't do it," Meredith countered. Everyone already _knows _that song; there's no adventure.

"Personally, I think we get enough adventure as it is," Matt spoke up.

Bonnie rounded the corner and saw everyone gathered around an old piano in what appeared to be the living room. In the few short hours that she had been gone, her friends had transformed the living room and kitchen into a Christmas wonderland. There was a large, fake Christmas tree that even smelled of pine and cotton snow was stuffed under it and around the house. Multiple colors begged for her attention all at once. The blue, green, and red lights reflected off of the many ornaments, all of whom probably had their own history.

The piano, which had been closed off and dusty before, was now shiny and the center of the entire set up. Stefan sat in front of the piano on the bench, his sleeves rolled up and long, pale fingers resting on the keys. He waited for someone to tell him what song to play. Damon was no where in sight.

"Guys it's beautiful!" Bonnie exclaimed truthfully. Her friends turned at her voice and grinned. "You really outdid yourselves." She look at at her friends Elena and Meredith were both wearing dresses too, a pact she had made them make. Stefan was dressed in almost his usually attire, wearing dark pants and a white long sleeve shirt, the sleeves bunched up to his elbows. Matt was dressed in a dress shirt and dress pants, an unusual look Bonnie had only ever see him wear when he went to church or out on dates with Elena.

Elena patted down her own dress, a dark blue one with a deep V in the back, as she walked over and gave Bonnie a hug. "Merry Christmas!" she carolled. Meredith nodded form across the room with a smile. She had already had her fair share of hugs and she was sure tonight was going to require a lot of them.

"Ah, the happy bunch of… whatever you would call this," Damon called quietly as he walked into the room behind Bonnie. He had a drink in his hand and waved it slightly in acknowledgement when everyone turned to look at him.

"It's only, what, ten thirty in the mourning?" Elena asked sullenly, a look of disgust on her face.

"Well, honey, it's drinking time somewhere." With this he tip his head back, drinking the rest of his glass in one take. He set it down on the cotton covered table next to him, a little too hardly. The glass bounced off of the cotton and tipped to its side. He made no attempt to pick it up. "Besides, if I'm to get through the night with you… guys… sober isn't an option. He walked across the room and sat down in front of the fireplace. A low fire was started but It was a sad attempt and was mostly just smoke. He glared at the fire and sent a wave of power at it, sparking it up until it was twice the size it should have been.

"Bonnie, pick a song. A Christmas song." Stefan directed at her. His fingers pressed on the keys lightly, not making any sound.

She thought for a moment, staring at the large roaring fire that was just barely contained in the fireplace. Christmas was her second favorite holiday, after Halloween. "All I Want for Christmas is You," she decided.

Meredith nodded again, her hair bobbing as she did it. Matt shrugged his shoulders, not really caring either way. Elena, Damon, and Mrs. flowers however stared at her as if she had just sprouted horns and ate the Christmas tree.

"My," Mrs. Flowers tutted.

"What?" Bonnie asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that week. She was getting sick of explaining herself.

"I, uh," Elena started, choosing her words carefully. "Oh. I didn't know you… felt that way…" She trailed off, her eyes flicking between Bonnie and Stefan. A crease formed between her eyebrows and you could tell she was thinking very hard on what to do or say next.

"Hon, it's a song," Stefan broke the awkward silence. He shifted slightly uncomfortably and started playing the music before anyone could say anything else.

Before he had gotten to the part where they would start singing, Elena exclaimed, "OH! _THIS_ song!" She blushed a bright red.

The rest of the day went quickly. First they stumbled and sang horribly off key, laughing when the guys had to try to sing high or the girl had to try to sing low. It quickly became a game of seeing who could find hardest song for the others to sing. Then, they ate even more Christmas ham and decorated cookies. They sat by the fire and reminisced about old Christmases. Then, it was time for presents, which Mrs. Flowers had announced in her soft voice that people just heard, no matter how loud they were being.

"Me first!" Elena shouted gleefully. She jumped up and ran over to the beautifully decorated tree. She got behind a large box that was wrapped in silver and red foil and pushed it to Matt. Stefan looked like he was going to get up and help her but she stopped him with a playful glare that said, _don't you dare_. Then she handed out the rest of the lighter gifts from her. She handed Bonnie a small box wrapped in silver and Meredith an identical one. Mrs. Flowers got a box that was carefully wrapped with "breakable" scrawled across it and Damon got a flat, standard sized box cover in nothing more than shiny black paper. "Best for last," she said slyly, handing Stefan the smallest box under from under the tree. "Now, go in the order I gave them to you!"

Everyone turned to Matt, who opened his box feverishly, almost afraid to see what she got him. When he saw what was inside he blushed slightly. "Elena, you didn't have to-"

"No take backs!" she cut him off

"Thank you," he mumbled, embarrassed. He got up and gave her a hug.

"What is it?" Bonnie pipped, leaning forward to see if she could see in the box. Matt got back and tipped it so everyone could see. All Bonnie could see was a mess of wires and shiny metal. "What is it?" she repeated, her face scrunching up.

Matt laughed. "It's the part I need to fix my car! I just had to fix the other one so I didn't have enough money to get this part yet. I was saving up for it. Thank you, Elena."

"Bonnie and Meredith next. At the same time," Elena instructed, all seriousness again. Bonnie and Meredith exchanged glances. Meredith raised her eyebrow as if to say _Don't look at me, I don't know what it is._ They both tore into their presents and revealed almost identical necklaces. "See?" Elena said, pulling out a necklace of her own. "They all fix together like puzzle pieces!" Each one was a jagged shaped red ruby.

Mrs Flowers had gotten a rare ceramic bowl, hand designed by a famous painter. Damon had gotten a leather jacket, simply because Elena couldn't think of anything else that he both wanted and that she'd be willing to give him. Lastly, Stefan opened his. It was a strip of paper, folded into thirds. He unfolded it, got a little wide eyed as he read it, and then stuffed it back into the box. He said a quick thank you and avoided eye contact with anyone, including Elena.

Next Matt went. His gift to Damon was the promise to try to not kill him in the next week, to which Damon replied a quick "ditto". And then Stefan went. And then Meredith.

Bonnie stepped over her growing pile of gifts and handed out her boxes. She had gotten Elena a silver top, one that went perfect with her hair. Meredith had gotten a pair of swords, ones that curved around her arm when held correctly. Matt was given a football, hand signed by all of his favorite players. Bonnie had to pull a lot of strings for that one. Mrs. Flowers received a box full of ingredients for spells and different types of teas. Stefan was the last one Bonnie actually had a gift for, and he gratefully accepted the box she handed him, opening it more carefully after Elena's gift, making sure no one saw it until he knew what it was.

"Thank you," he said honestly to Bonnie.

She nodded nervously. The only one left now was Damon. She turned and reluctantly faced him. "Sorry," she said, pulling the orb out of her pocket. "It's… nothing actually. A ball. The spell never worked; I was too weak." She blushed a deep red and refused to look him in the eye. She stole glances from beneath her thick lashes.

Damon was turning it over in his hand thoughtfully. His face was almost bored, the same expression that he had been wearing the entire Christmas party. "What is it?" he asked with a slight, uncaring shrug.

Bonnie blushed even deeper, something she didn't even know was possible. "It's like a star ball… sort of, but instead of storing memories, it stores power." She stopped talking, waiting for him to say something. Waiting for _anyone _to say something. When no one did, she continued, nervously brushing the hair out of her face. It kept "Uh, well I figured, I mean, since all you really ever want is one of three things- power, blood, or Elena, well It was something I could give you, is all." She turned and quickly walked back to her pile, gratefully climbing behind it and slouching until she was almost hidden.

Elena coughed pointedly, sliding a glare in Damon's direction. "Thank you… red-bird," Damon said seductively, slowly smiling. He refused to drop his stare first and the moment dragged on awkwardly until Bonnie looked away.

The rest of the party was okay, Bonnie guessed. She was still obsessing over her epic fail of a Christmas gift there entire night.

Damon had gotten a few people gifts also. He left Elena with a mysterious "You'll get yours later". He had promised to try and not kill anyone over the christmas vacation period, as a gift to Stefan and Meredith. He had given Mrs. Flowers an old book, something to do with gardening. Matt was given a coupon to petsmart for 50% off getting his fur groomed. Bonnie wasn't given anything and then they continued onto watching Christmas classics on Mrs. Flowers old Tv set.

Halfway through _Lampoon's Christmas Vacation_, the power suddenly cut out and they were all plunged in darkness. The Christmas lights that used to be pretty were now ominous. Bonnie stumbled forward, tripping over her presents. A hand caught her in the darkness, stopping her from hitting the ground. The smell of leather filled her nose as someone pulled her up and her face was pressed into a cold jacket. She was pressed against a lean body for a second and then she was let go, steady on her own two feet.

"My," Mrs. Flower's calm voice sliced through the pressing darkness, "It appears the storm finally killed the power. Stefan dear, could you go get the lamps from the basements?"  
There was the sound of shuffling feet as Stefan got up and headed towards the basement. They had left the fire die back down to almost nothing while they were watching the movies and neither Damon or Stefan had bothered to spark it back up. It sent a soft glow over everything and the human's could just see once their eyes adjusted. Stefan came back with the gas lamps, a small fire burning in each one. He had three in total, one for Mrs. Flowers, one for Bonnie and Meredith, and one for Matt. The vampires could see in the dark fine.

"I guess that means bedtime," Meredith sighed. "It was great, guys, we should do it again next year." With that, she walked around her own, neatly stacked pile of gifts and started up the stairs. Bonnie stayed behind, hoping to catch a trip up the stairs whenever Matt went up to bed with his light.

Stefan and Elena both stood, murmuring to each other as they headed for the stairs. Bonnie did not miss the glare that Damon sent their way before he turned back to his usual charming and impassive look. He sat next to the fire, its low glare casting shadows over his carefully controlled expression.

Matt stood slowly after them and turned the light up higher. Bonnie relaxed slightly as some of the light returned to the room. She jumped up quickly and walked so close behind Matt that she stepped on his heels. The only gift she had grabbed from her pile was a dark blue sweatshirt that Meredith had gotten her. It was a little dark for her normal taste but it was fuzzy on the inside and perfectly warm for such a cold night.

She glanced back at Damon for a quick second but turned back to face Matt's back when she found him already staring at her.

The stairs weren't the worst thing, as Bonnie assumed they would be. The small gas lamp lit the hallway in which the stairs climbed up and Matt held the lamp low behind him so Bonnie could see every step she took.

He offered the lamp to Bonnie as he got to his room but she few short steps to her own room were dark and she took them hesitantly. Once she got in her room, she crawled forward on all fours until she found the bottom of her bed and pulled out her bathroom bag. She stumbled around until she found the doorway again and nearly tripped. One slow step after another she headed in the way of the bathroom, regretting her choice to not take the lamp.

She froze when she felt like she was being watched, breath coming shallowly. Her heart raced as she heard a slight creak in the floor.

"Running around in the dark, red bird?" Damon's silk voice hummed in Bonnie's ear. He was standing so close that she could feel his slight heat by her side and feel his breath on her neck. "How brave." It sound like an after thought and Bonnie couldn't tell if he was being serious or mocking her.

"Trying to find the bathroom," Bonnie muttered embarrassedly. She still could not get the picture of her failed gift out of her mind.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her in the right direction with his night vision allowing him to see perfectly. Then, as if he were reading her mind, " I never got to give you a present." He murmured it quietly, in a thoughtful voice.

"Oh," Bonnie gasped back, distractedly. "That's okay. You don't have to." All she could concentrate on was the warmth that radiated from his hand.

"No, really," Damon said so quietly that Bonnie had to lean towards him to hear. "I'll tell you what," he started with a new tone in his voice, "You have ten minutes, _whenever_ is your choice. We can do whatever you want. Your choice."

Bonnie thought this through. "Okay," she agreed as she turned to the bathroom. She knew the layout well enough to get around without the lights on. Damon turned away and she heard him say, before leaving, "Think about it."

It was a few days before Bonnie actually tried to use Damon's unusual gift. It was night time, somewhere around three in the mourning, Bonnie guessed. She still had not gotten used to the pitch darkness that her room was at night. It was storming really bad. The wind howled loudly and Bonnie could practically feel it cutting through the old walls. Her psychic abilities were freaking out, as was she. Her brain felt fuzzy with lack of sleep and she vaguely wondered if it was the work of some creature that the storm was still raging on and off.

They should have seen it coming, she realized. After all, she had read something about animals being able to sense when a storm was about to hit. All of the animals in the area had been leaving, so much so, that it had made the news.

When she reached where she thought Damon's door would be, she faltered. She had been so concentrated on just _getting _to Damon's room that she did not know what she was going to do once she actually _got _there. When she had finally decided that she just _couldn't _take one more second alone in the terrifying darkness of the howling storm, she had gotten up to bug Meredith. Halfway down the hall however, she had decided that, if indeed she wanted to feel _safe_, Damon was her best bet. And, he had already told her she could bother him whenever she wanted to.

She gulped, fist raised and hovering inches away from the door that was, undoubtedly, locked. She stood that way until she was shivering violently from the cold. Just as she sighed in defeat, the door opened.

Damon stood there, wearing a dark pair of slacks. His chest was bare and Bonnie could not help her staring as he held up a small ball of light. "What do you want, Red-bird?" he asked, his voice gravelly with sleep. His hair was tousled in every which way, something Bonnie was not used to seeing.

Her relief at the small, dull light made her forget for a second why she had come here. The light turned a shade of purple, like a violet flame concealed in a glass ball. "What is that?" she asked in wonder, her hazy mind not piecing together the answer that was right in front of her.

"My own personal mood ring, apparently." He tossed it gently in the air and caught it gracefully, his fingers curling around it lightly as if to say '_this is mine'_.

"It shows your mood?"  
"No," he corrected, "It shows _your _mood. It's your fancy little gift, remember?" Suddenly it clicked in Bonnie's brain exactly what she was looking at. It was the orb that held her power, though certainly not enough of it for its intended purpose. As she took step closer to it, it got brighter. Wonder overtook her mind and the orb turned from purple to orange, truly looking like fire now.

"Too bad it doesn't come with a color chart," Damon murmured quietly. Bonnie found it easier to look around now that she could see. Even though the light and Damon's presence made her feel foolish for being scared, the darkness of the hall behind her reminded her of why she was here.

"You said I could bug you anytime," Bonnie started out quietly. She could hardly hear herself say it but Damon's heightened senses caught every word that left her lips and he smirked cockily, as if he knew something she didn't.  
_Of course he know lots of things you don't, have _you _ever traveled the world?_ she thought reassuringly to herself.

"So I did," Damon said at last. He stepped back into his room and Bonnie retreated after him, not wanting to be plunged back into the darkness again. The orb turned into such a dark purple- black that Bonnie wondered how the color black could simultaneously be glowing. It made sense to her, for fear to be black.

Damon walked to the other side of his room and lounged on his bed. The dull glow of the orb sent out just enough light for Bonnie to see the outline of most of the things in Damon's room. He had his own mini-fridge, stocked with blood bags from the hospital. He had a simple writing desk with a few object on it, though Bonnie couldn't tell what they were. Then there was the bed, a simple frame with four posts and complete with one Damon on top.

Bonnie thought again about how much of a mistake this could have been. How much blood did Damon have stocked in his fridge. How long before blood spoiled? He could kill her and get out of here before Stefan or Meredith even heard her screams. Matt too would try to help but Damon would make a quick meal out of him, and Elena would probably accidentally end up prompting him to kill everyone in the house if they got into one of their little 'battle of wills'.

"Well?" Damon broke her free of her day-dream, which was okay with Bonnie because it was going no where good - fast.

"I just wanted to talk," Bonnie mumbled, feeling like a child who had to wake up her parents after a nightmare, only to be yelled at.  
He blinked at her lazily. "Talk?" he repeated.

"Well it was storming- I really don't like the dark- you _said _I could - and anytime I-" she broke off her segmented rambling when she heard a short bark of laughter. She had never heard Damon laugh before- _ever_.

"What?" She blushed. The orb was flickering so many colors now that it was impossible to tell exactly what it was portraying.

"You," he said between his chuckling, "have got to be the only person to ever sneak into a guy's room at three in the morning to _talk_."

Bonnie blushed an even deeper red. "I- you-" she stuttered out. She turned swiftly and headed for the door, escaping her embarrassment being the only thing on her mind. That, and processing what Damon could have meant by _that_. She was stopped when a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her back into the room gently.

"No," Damon murmured in his quiet, soothing voice again, "of _course _you're here to talk, so let's talk."

She wasn't sure exactly how Damon had managed to both pick her up and carry her _and _shut the door, but he had done it. And somehow they had both sat down on the bed. Bonnie flushed again.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked as he fixed a stray hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"Tell me about when you were human?" It came out more as a question than a statement but Damon nodded in all seriousness. He started when he was little, assuming Bonnie did not need to be reminded of Kathrine again, none of them did. He talked for far longer than ten minutes in a low and steady murmur.

As much as Bonnie fought it, she could not stop herself from drifting into sleep at the sound of his voice. Her back was warm against his chest as they both sat reclined against the back wall. Damon pulled the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and stopped in the middle of his story. Perhaps she would be lucky enough to hear it next year.

Closing his eyes Damon sat very still, waiting to fall asleep himself. He was sure not to move too much so he would not wake Bonnie back up and they both slept, the only light being the very dull hum of a light blue orb, casting all of his belongings into shadows to any without his sharp eyesight.

And there it sat, the blue orb humming with power in his hand, his other arm wrapped around Bonnie. _This is mine._ he thought to himself again. This time, he could not be sure what exactly _this _was, but it felt right.

THE END.


End file.
